SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – More than a year after a man walking with his bicycle was struck by a car and killed in Winter Springs, News 6 is learning the driver has been arrested.
Court records show a warrant for Humberto Hurtado was signed this week. The 26-year-old faced a judge from the Seminole County Jail Wednesday afternoon, where he’s being held on a $35,000 bond.
An arrest report obtained by News 6 identifies Hurtado as the driver who struck Joseph Theophilus as he was walking with his bike last March on East Lake Drive, near Lakeridge Court. Troopers said Hurtado failed to stop but called 911 about 20 minutes after the crash and identified himself.
The report states investigators went to Hurtado’s home in Casselberry that same night and spoke with him, but he wasn’t arrested until prosecutors filed documents charging him with leaving the scene.
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At Wednesday’s first-appearance hearing, prosecutors only asked for a $15,000 bond, but the judge decided to set it at $35,000, more than double what the state requested. An attorney representing Hurtado stated that his client was not a flight risk and the incident had happened almost a year and a half ago.
Hurtado is facing a charge of leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, a first-degree felony. If he is found guilty, Florida law states he shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of four years in prison.
News 6 drove through the area of East Lake Drive on Wednesday and noticed a memorial after another deadly crash in the same area. In 2020, 19-year-old Mason Wheeler died after crashing into a tree near Lakeridge Court. Troopers said the driver was speeding.
Markings have been placed on the roadway to narrow the lanes, a common technique to slow down traffic and hopefully reduce the number of crashes.
News 6 asked Seminole County to provide some perspective on this problem area and learned traffic engineering has been working to make the stretch safer since 2022.
Between December 2022 and early 2023, they met with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office to review the area, and those efforts resulted in additional street lighting being installed, and median plantings south of East Lake Drive and Bird Road were removed.
Data provided by the county shows there have been a total of 37 crashes within the last five years. A study of the area along East Lake Drive from west of Bird Road to east of Tuskawilla Road revealed a reduction in crashes after changes were made:
- August – December 2020: 1 crash
- January – December 2021: 12 crashes
- January – December 2022: 14 crashes
- January – December 2023: 3 crashes
- January – December 2024: 6 crashes
- January – June 2025: 1 crash
In 2024, the county installed additional raised pavement markers and “speed reduction” markings as added visual cues for drivers navigating the curves in the road.
News 6 also learned that the county is planning on installing “s-curve” warning signs with speed advisory plates of 40mph next week. They also plan to install two new streetlights near East Lake Drive and Center Drive.